Ishwar Haribhakti Archives

Haribhakti Centre for
Historical Research and Studies (HCHRS)

For generations, our family has been deeply rooted in the intellectual, financial, and cultural life of Western India. The establishment of the Haribhakti Centre for Historical Research and Studies (HCHRS) stands as a continuation of that legacy. Our commitment to preserving knowledge, nurturing scholarship, and making accessible the vast historical records that shaped the economic and social landscape of Baroda and beyond.

The Haribhakti Centre for Historical Research and Studies (HCHRS) is a specialized research and archival centre dedicated to the study, preservation, and dissemination of historical knowledge relating to the socio-economic world of Western India. Established in January 2015 within the Department of History, the Centre represents a collaborative initiative between the University and the Haribhakti Raneshwar Mahadev Sansthan Charitable Trust, Vadodara.

HCHRS serves as a bridge between rare manuscript collections preserved across generations by the Haribhakti family and the global community of scholars exploring India’s economic, cultural, and institutional past.

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Origin:

HCHRS emerged from the landmark Project of Digitalization of the Haribhakti Collection of Manuscripts, a five-year archival programme approved by the University Syndicate in December 2014. With financial support of ₹36 lakhs from Haribhakti Raneshwar Mahadev Sansthan Charitable Trust thru their trustees Gopal I. Haribhakti and Swati G. Haribhakti. The project formally began in February 2015 and concluded in July 2020. This initiative enabled the systematic cleaning, curating, preservation, scanning, and indexing of thousands of historical folios that previously remained inaccessible to researchers.
HCHRS:The MSU Baroda

The Collections: Haribhakti Collection (HBC)

A rare and expansive archive of nearly 12 lakh folios, covering a span of approximately 175 years, including:
  • Financial and administrative relationship between HariBhakti Pedhi and Peshwas of Pune.
  • Financial, administrative and social relations between Haribhakti family and the Rulers of Baroda State (Gaekwads)
  • Correspondence of HariBhakti Pedhi with the English East India Company and the British Government
  • Records of merchants, bankers, mahajans, and communities across Western India
Document types include: hundis, chitthis, bahis, varats, jamabandis, kalambandis, jama-kharch registers, legal agreements, and materials illustrating the pre-modern bazaar economy.
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Mission:

HCHRS is committed to creating a vibrant ecosystem for interdisciplinary historical research, with a focus on:

Key Academic Areas

  • Tax and revenue systems
  • Indigenous finance and accounting
  • Princely state administration
  • Urban institutional history
  • Philanthropy and temple management
  • Pre-modern economic networks
Document types include: hundis, chitthis, bahis, varats, jamabandis, kalambandis, jama-kharch registers, legal agreements, and materials illustrating the pre-modern bazaar economy.

Research & Scholarship

HCHRS supports scholars from India and abroad, enabling original research grounded in primary archival material. The Centre has hosted seminars, national conferences, and lectures funded by premier academic bodies.

Outreach & Collaboration

HCHRS engages with universities, archives, and research institutions across India and the world through joint academic programmes, archival initiatives, internships, and expert exchanges.
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Beneficiaries and Academic Engagement

Scholars from the following departments of The M.S University regularly utilize HCHRS resources:
  • Departments of Gujarati, Marathi, Persian, Urdu, Sindhi, Linguistics, History, Economics, Sociology
  • Faculty of Commerce (Accounts & Finance)
  • Faculty of Management Studies
The Centre supports interdisciplinary work spanning:
History • Economics • Statistics • Management • Heritage Studies • Cultural Studies

Collaborations:

National Partners

State Archives of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan • National Archives of India • IGNCA • ICSSR • ICHR • Universities and institutes such as DU, JNU, AUD, IIT Gandhinagar, IIM Ahmedabad, GNLU, and several universities across India.

International Partners

Universities and research centres in: USA (UPenn, Chicago, Vanderbilt, JHU, Berkeley) • Canada • France (CNRS) • Germany (Max Weber Centre) • UK (Leicester, UCL, SOAS) •
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Significance:

The Haribhakti Centre stands today as one of the most important archival hubs for the study of indigenous financial and the socio-economic history of Western India. By opening centuries-old manuscripts to scholars worldwide, HCHRS and IHA continues to enrich historical knowledge, revive traditional scripts, and strengthen India’s archival and academic culture.

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